Live Soap: Stability, Order, and Fluctuations in Apolar Active Smectics

Adhyapak, Tapan Chandra and Ramaswamy, Sriram and Toner, John (2013) Live Soap: Stability, Order, and Fluctuations in Apolar Active Smectics. In: PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS, 110 (11).

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Abstract

We construct a hydrodynamic theory of noisy, apolar active smectics in bulk suspension or on a substrate. Unlike purely orientationally ordered active fluids, active apolar smectics can be dynamically stable in Stokesian bulk suspensions. Smectic order in these systems is quasilong ranged in dimension d = 2 and long ranged in d = 3. We predict reentrant Kosterlitz-Thouless melting to an active nematic in our simplest model in d = 2, a nonzero second-sound speed parallel to the layers in bulk suspensions, and that there are no giant number fluctuations in either case. We also briefly discuss possible instabilities in these systems. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.118102

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
Publisher:	AMER PHYSICAL SOC
Additional Information:	Copyright for this article belongs to the AMER PHYSICAL SOC, USA.
Department/Centre:	Division of Physical & Mathematical Sciences > Physics
Date Deposited:	17 Apr 2013 11:52
Last Modified:	17 Apr 2013 11:52
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/46386

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